"This is an awesome day for Xavier Basketball," Mack said. "While many recruiting experts have labeled our five-man class as a top class nationally, we feel we have the best shooting class in the entire country. My staff worked very hard to identify talented players with tremendous character. The five-man class of Edmond Sumner, JP Macura, Makinde London, Sean O'Mara and Trevon Bluiett has the makings of a special one."

The biggest football extravaganza this weekend takes us to College Station, Texas, where Johnny Football faces the best professional college team in the country, Alabama. Can you imagine how many recruits requested a campus visit that weekend?

The Gophers have ton of offers on the table, and that's the norm when you have a new head coach. When Richard Pitino was hired in April, there there was not a lot he could accomplish on the recruiting trail for the 2013 class. By that late in the recruiting calendar, many players were already committed and everyone he was trying to get involved with had other programs on them for a long time, so he was playing a major catchup game. Fast forward to the present and as the school year begins, Pitino and his staff have been relentless in evaluating and offering players in the 2014 class. This will be their first full recruiting class, and it will make an impact on the program.

There are several signees who would constitute a win. ESPN 100 power forward Reid Travis lives extremely close to campus, had a fantastic summer and could be the face of the program. Fellow Minnesota native and No. 1 shooting guard Rashad Vaughn, who recently took an unofficial visit to campus before heading out to play his senior season at Findlay Prep (Nev.) would be a go-to guy immediately. They are also making headway on ESPN 100 prospect Isaiah Whitehead, a dynamic scoring guard form New York. Lourawls Nairn and J.P. Macura have also been to campus and have a high interest.

A loss would be if they they strike out early with the guys on their list and then panic and take a player who can't help just to be on the board. Minnesota needs to have a plan, stick to it, and bring in the talent and traits that are needed to move into the upper crust in the Big Ten. Pitino was a terrific recruiter as an assistant coach and brought in some league-winning talent at Florida International. It will happen in time for Gophers fans.

After reviewing the July notes, a number of players popped onto the radar. Whether they make any top 100 lists is to be determined, but they are candidates. Frankly, this summer could yield more change than usual in a list of this nature. I’d pay close attention to the next 100 list because I’d bet the ESPN staffers shake it up and you see a host of new faces.

The first half of a July on the recruiting trail was more of a sprint than anything else. July 6-14 was a convergence of talent and time zones. From Las Vegas to North Augusta, S.C., to Indianapolis, I felt like I was in a new city daily with waves of players being tossed at me.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The fifth annual adidas Invitational kicked off the July evaluation period this past week with more than 300 teams competing from Wednesday through Sunday. The pool was deep with potential players for all college levels, including high-major stars, mid-major prospects and under-the-radar recruits who emerged as talents to watch.

Let’s take a look at several top players from multiple classes who caught our eye throughout this elite five-day tournament. Here are our adidas Invitational superlatives.

Kelly Kline/AdidasESPN 100 SF Sam Logwood showed off his athleticism and versatility at the adidas Invitational.

Most Explosive
Sam Logwood (Indianapolis/La Lumiere)
2014, PF/SF, 6-foot-7, 205 poundsAAU: Eric Gordon All-Stars (Keeton)
Offers: Auburn, Mississippi State, Indiana State, Bradley and Miami (Ohio)
Interest: Oregon, Michigan State and Duke
Logwood is a combo forward who is more of a power forward at this time with a college-ready body. He excels in transition with his ability to play above the rim on the break, and in the half-court set he is a good two- or three-dribble straight-line driver who can finish through contact. Logwood will have to continue to develop his jumper and ballhandling. He is also a good rebounder, especially on the offensive glass, where his second jump is as quick and explosive as his first. Logwood is a capable multiple-position defender as well. He can switch and contain positions 1 through 3 and can defend a power forward in a small lineup. The bottom line is that Logwood plays hard and competes on both ends of the floor.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Saturday was my first full day at the adidas Invitational after arriving on Friday from the Peach Jam. So what did I learn? Well, there are two guards who have cranked up their games, plus Canada is locked and loaded with another 2016 prospect.

Here are some nuggets on those and others from Saturday’s action at the adidas Invitational. Sunday’s championship game will be televised on ESPNU live at 2 p.m. ET.

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On The Trail is ESPN Recruiting's home for all the latest news and information. With some of the nation's top recruiting writers contributing, OTT provides the latest details about commitments, visits and other notes to give fans the most comprehensive recruiting news source in the country.